When Naoma Howard moved to Whidbey Island last year, several things shocked her — the beauty of the landscape, a welcoming community and the great two-bedroom apartment she found in Oak Harbor.

But that wasn’t all.

Howard was also shocked by the price tag.

“I’ve never paid this much for rent that didn’t include utilities,” Howard said. “It’s about 41 percent of my monthly income.”

The high cost of renting housing in Oak Harbor put a strain on Howard’s finances. She said she must limit what activities she does with her child because such a large chunk of her income goes to living costs each month.

Howard is not alone.

The state of affordable housing in Island County was a big talking point during the Island County Council of Governments this past Wednesday. Several agencies gathered to deliver the “2016 Island County Housing Priorities” presentation.

“Of the 33,000 households in Island County, over 3,000 of our rental households are rent-burdened,” said Catherine Reid, housing program coordinator for Island County Human Services.

“About 8,000 homeowner households are cost burdened,” she added.

That equates to a third of households in Island County struggling to pay for housing, Reid said.

Reid said that an individual is rent- or cost-burdened when either his or her rent or mortgage is 30 to 50 percent of their monthly income.

Increasingly, Island County citizens are having difficulty finding housing at, or below, the 30-percent threshold designated to affordable housing, Reid said.

Reid noted this trend is nationwide, and that the county’s rate of households struggling to pay for housing is comparable to other counties in the state.

Additionally, there is a significant lack of affordable housing in the county and a rising population of homeless individuals.

“There’s a lack of available rental housing period, affordable or otherwise,” Reid later said. “It’s pretty much a virtual zero vacancy.”

According to Joanne Pelant, housing resource coordinator for Human Services, Island County’s Point in Time Count that tracked homeless individuals has steadily increased over the last three years.

While the county has multiple housing programs to assist individuals facing eviction or homelessness, these programs are limited in capacity, she said.

“Affordable housing is very much connected to homelessness issues,” Pelant says. “Because the lack of affordable housing … is driving people out of their apartments and homes because the rents are going up so exponentially.”

The programs county agencies are utilizing to combat the housing issue include first month’s rent assistance and security deposit assistance in conjunction with ongoing case management.

Additionally, Human Services is in the process of establishing a Coordinated Entry Housing Support Center at the main office in Coupeville.

The center will shift how the county delivers access to the housing programs and supportive services.

“It allows folks to come to one place instead of having to go from agency to agency,” Reid said.

After that, Pelant said, the department hopes to develop a landlord liaison program that will take inventory of possible housing in the county and partner with property owners interested in providing affordable housing.

For Pelant, even a small housing contribution that agencies can then offer to individuals in need makes a difference.

“Even a home, a duplex or a triplex here and there would be significant,” Pelant said.

In the meantime, Pelant and Reid work to ensure that cost-burdened individuals are able to remain in their current housing.